Building Methods

Light Timber Frames

Appearance can range from the ultra modern to the traditional weatherboard house
allows for a range of design solutions to achieve environmentally friendly housing in all climatic zones
low thermal mass
Extensive use of plantation grown timber
Termite resistant treatments are commonplace
Variety of claddings including
Timber weather board
New generation fibre cement claddings such as Scyon
Natural edge weatherboards such as Radial Sawn Timber
Corrugated Iron, Colorbond or Galvanised
Manufactured timber board claddings such as WeatherTex
Rendered Styrene cladding systems
Thermal performance can be very high, depending on the total building system.

A wide variety of natural colours and textures, stable and colour-fast
High compressive strengt
High thermal mass
Reverse brick veneer can result in high performing buildings with lower than average energy demands for both heating and cooling
Moderate thermal resistance, greatly enhanced by adding foil or bulk insulation
Excellent sound insulation, particularly for low frequency noise
Clay brickwork does not burn

High thermal mass
Very good sound insulation properties,
Non combustible
Lowest impact of all construction materials in terms of a carbon footprint
Need protection from driving rain
Should not be exposed to continuous high moisture
Improve their thermal performance by creating two skins of wall and insulating the space between

Rendered with cement or earth so that the straw wall is sealed up
Built with a Structural frame or as a Load bearing structure
Very low thermal mass capability
Excellent insulative properties
Effective sound insulation
Fire resistant if tightly packed and covered effectively with a skin of cement render

Very strong in compression and can be engineered to achieve reasonably high strengths
High thermal mass
Very good sound insulation properties
Non combustible
Usually cement stabilised offering high durability
Colour is determined by the earth and aggregate used

Good compressive strength
Moderate overall level of thermal mass performance
Very good insulation properties
Very good sound insulation
Suited for fire-rated applications
Requires coating to inhibit moisture pentration
AAC building systems may have lower embodied energy per m2 than a concrete alternative

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